State legislators to host budget town hall meeting in Ashland

BY Local report...

The Oregon Legislative Assembly’s budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee will hold a public hearing in Ashland on Friday, Feb. 24, one of a series of seven in cities across the state that began Feb. 10.

The town hall events will create opportunities for Oregonians to provide input into the 2017-19 biennial state budget, according to state Rep. Nancy Nathanson (D-Eugene) and Senator Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin), the co-chairs of the committee.

On Jan. 19, the co-chairs released an “Existing Resources Framework,” recognizing that existing revenues fall $1.8 billion short of the funding necessary to continue state services at current levels. The entire budget framework and accompanying narrative are available at bit.ly/2ldk7ep.

The Ashland meeting is set for 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, in the Rogue River Room in Stevenson Union at Southern Oregon University, 1250 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland.

Meetings have already been held in Salem and Portland. The third is due Friday, Feb. 17, in Hermiston, followed by meetings in Madras, Ashland, Eugene and Tillamook.